What's Best for Baby Brain Development?

1. Be Responsive, But Be The Leader

One of the most important factors in growing a healthy human being is the presence of an adult who is responsive to their needs and emotions. That means that when a baby expresses a need or emotion, you respond.

In other words, your baby needs to know that you'll be there for her if she needs you. But it's NOT helpful for a baby to feel that they're always the focus of attention, or that life revolves around them.

2. Set Up a Routine

Set up a schedule and routine that will work for her: "In the morning mom does the dishes while I play nearby with my toys; then we go out to do errands." Routines help little ones develop cognitive understanding and a deep sense of security, because they love knowing what to expect. Routines also foster cooperation, because there's no power struggle about what will happen next.

3. Don't Interrupt a Baby's Play

Please don't feel like you need to "entertain" your baby. Babies are always working and learning noticing things, grabbing at things, moving their limbs. Our job is to facilitate the work they are engaged in by giving them an environment that encourages their exploration, not to interrupt their work by trying to teach them what we think they should be learning! So when your child is occupied, make it a practice not to distract or interrupt. In the same way that you would try to avoid waking a sleeping baby, try not to interrupt a baby who is engaged and playing by herself.

4. Remember That Babies Learn Most from Interacting with Us

Even though your baby's brain is growing new neural connections every day in response to her environment, the most important work she's doing is developing the capacity for trust and intimacy. So "relating" to you is her most important work and sets the tone for her relationship with the world. She uses you as her secure base from which to explore the world, and she looks to you to know how to interpret what she experiences. As she interacts with you, her brain makes the neural connections that will shape it for life.

In other words, human intellectual development is built on the foundation of emotional security. That means your primary attention needs to be on enjoying your baby, engaging with her, responding to her, showing her the world, and reassuring her when she expresses concern about things. Studies show that infants who are the most advanced intellectually, emotionally and physically are the babies whose mothers are more attentive, responsive, and warmly engaging with them.

5. Foster Attachment Security 

All babies need to develop a secure attachment to their special people. Secure attachment comes from feeling:

1. • Safe - Trusting that your special people will be there to take care of you and protect you in what can be a big, scary world.
   • Seen - Trusting that your special people understand how you feel and love you exactly as you are, even with those sometimes overwhelming emotions.
   • Soothed - Trusting that your special people will comfort you and help you feel better when life is hard.

6. The Intellect Grows from Engagement & Discovery, Not from Being Taught

A baby's brain does not need academic or sensory bombardment; she will find plenty to stimulate her cognitive development as she engages with you in the activities of daily life. She definitely does not need you to focus on her intellectual development in the sense of counting, ABC's, or any conventional intellectual tasks. She will find great intellectual stimulation in games of hide 'n seek, in pulling all the pans out of your cupboard, and in seeing the world from the safety of a backpack or baby carrier as you grocery shop or interact with other people. You may have heard that reading to a baby is good for her, and it is. But even better is talking to and with her. Involve her and speak with her as you move through your daily tasks: folding laundry, washing dishes, cooking dinner.

Original Source:  Aha! Parenting

Nutcrackers Daycare Academy We are a family owned and operated academy that provides children with a strong foundation to begin their lives. Our teachers are highly trained and extremely attentive to support your child’s desire to explore and discover. Our passionate staff values the relationships we have with our families and work hard to involve them in all our activities and decisions. Our facility provides an openness inside and out for a child to feel free to explore, create, and learn in a safe, loving and developmentally appropriate environment. Contact at 713-842-7796.

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